Category Archives: Early years of school

In the past week there has been misinformed and uneducated commentary made about the early childhood sector – Early Childhood Australia was disappointed with these comments but chose to not respond in the media as it received too much media attention and we did not wish to increase the profile of the Senators involved. Below […]

Young children need a rich range of child-centred, hands-on, play-based experiences and intentional teaching to develop the early learning required for future academic achievement. It is paramount for young children to be engaged in high-quality early childhood education programs if later academic success is to be achieved. In 2013 an alliance was formed between four […]

My eight-year-old daughter recently complained to me about a boy in her grade. “Dad, he keeps on trying to kiss me. Today at recess he kissed me twice on the face. I keep telling him to ‘Stop!’ and he doesn’t.” In the past this incident may have been called cute. Parents or staff members may […]

Amid debates about budget cuts and the rising costs of schools and degrees, there is one debate receiving alarmingly little attention in Australia. We’re facing a slow decline in most educational standards, and few are aware just how bad the situation is getting. These are just six of the ways that Australia’s education system is […]

University of Canberra Learning to read is a complicated process and parents often wonder if their child is developing reading abilities at the rate they “should”. Research agrees, however, that reading (and writing) is very much a developmental process, which can look very different for different children, regardless of their age. It can be very […]

Children have imaginative ideas and individual ways of seeing the world. Conversations with children help us to see the world through their eyes. Conversations also help us to understand what children know already, and what they are exploring. As educators we try to gain insight into what children are learning so that we can provide […]

Starting primary school is an important, but potentially stressful, time in a child’s development. Kay Margetts, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Studies at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, talks about children’s social, emotional and behavioural adjustment to school and the importance of early preparation by families for the best outcomes. How strong is the […]